The Kano State Government has announced the recovery of more than ₦28 million in fraudulent salary payments made to 247 individuals who were either deceased or retired, following a sweeping payroll validation exercise.

 

The revelation came through a statement by Musa Tanko Muhammad, Press Secretary to the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), who disclosed that the anomaly was discovered within the payroll system of Local Government Councils during the scrutiny of the March 2025 salary disbursement.

 

According to the statement, a Pay Parade Committee established under the directive of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf uncovered the disturbing irregularity as part of the administration’s broader payroll reform initiative. The exercise found that dozens of names on the March payroll belonged to former employees who had either left the service through retirement or had passed away—yet continued to receive salaries totaling ₦27,824,395.40.

 

“In a decisive move towards cleansing the State Payroll, the Kano State Government has recorded a major milestone in its ongoing efforts to reform salary administration,” the statement read. It added that the validation exercise was part of a preparatory process for a comprehensive Pay Parade scheduled to begin April 28.

 

The fraudulent funds, according to the government, have since been recovered and returned to the Local Government Treasury, pending further investigations.

 

The government also reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and accountability, vowing to identify and prosecute all those responsible for the payroll manipulation.

 

“This significant recovery underscores the administration’s unwavering dedication to entrenching good governance and responsible management of public resources,” the statement concluded.

 

The development is seen as a crucial step in sanitizing Kano State’s civil service and restoring public confidence in the state’s financial systems.